Research in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans has confirmed what many people in the region know already: too many governments are using bureaucratic tricks—and brute force—to restrict the basic right to free speech.

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People protest outside of the Parliament of Poland in Warsaw on December 17, 2016.

With attacks on the public space unfurling across the European Union, it is essential that the EU take swift and decisive action to protect the foundational values and institutions that undergird democracy.

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Governance & Accountability

A government accountable to its citizens is one of the cornerstones of an open society—helping to ensure fairness, economic equality, and civic participation. The Open Society Foundations work with governments and businesses to advance transparency, rule of law, and good governance around the world.

Research in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans has confirmed what many people in the region know already: too many governments are using bureaucratic tricks—and brute force—to restrict the basic right to free speech.

After years of authoritarian rule in many countries, a wave of political engagement is sweeping across Latin America, transforming the region into a seemingly bottomless reservoir of new ideas for modernizing democracy.